In 1890, the first Army-Navy football game was played at West Point, New York; Navy defeated Army, 24-0. The Imperial Diet, forerunner of Japan’s current national legislature, opened its first session.

In 1924, Italian composer Giacomo Puccini died in Brussels before he could complete his opera “Turandot.” (It was finished by Franco Alfano.)

In 1947, the U.N. General Assembly passed a resolution calling for the partitioning of Palestine between Arabs and Jews.

In 1956, the musical comedy “Bells Are Ringing,” starring Judy Holliday, opened on Broadway.

In 1961, Enos the chimp was launched from Cape Canaveral aboard the Mercury-Atlas 5 spacecraft, which orbited earth twice before returning.

In 1972, the coin-operated video arcade game Pong, created by Atari, made its debut at Andy Capp’s Tavern in Sunnyvale, California.

In 1981, actress Natalie Wood drowned in a boating accident off Santa Catalina Island, California, at age 43.

In 1986, actor Cary Grant died in Davenport, Iowa, at age 82.

In 1991, 17 people were killed in a 164-vehicle pileup during a dust storm on Interstate 5 near Coalinga, California. Actor Ralph Bellamy died in Santa Monica, California, at age 87.

In 1996, John C. Salvi III, serving a life sentence for fatally shooting two abortion clinic receptionists, hanged himself in his Massachusetts prison cell.

Ten years ago: The first of two high-profile meetings in Jordan between President George W. Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki (NOO’-ree ahl-MAHL’-ih-kee) was abruptly canceled amid conflicting explanations. (Bush met al-Maliki the next day.) Still losing money after job and factory cuts, Ford Motor Co. said 38,000 workers, almost half of its hourly production force, had accepted buyouts or early retirement offers.

Five years ago: Eurozone ministers sent Greece an 8 billion-euro ($10.7 billion) Christmas rescue package to stem an immediate cash crisis. Hard-line Iranian protesters stormed British diplomatic compounds in what began as an apparent state-approved show of anger over the latest Western sanctions to punish Tehran for its nuclear program. American Airlines’ parent company, AMR Corp., filed for bankruptcy protection, citing high labor and fuel costs and the weak economy. (American Airlines emerged from bankruptcy protection in Dec. 2013 as it merged with US Airways.)

One year ago: President Barack Obama, arriving in Paris late at night for a climate conference, briefly visited the Bataclan, the concert hall that was the scene of the worst of France’s terror attacks 16 days earlier. Pope Francis visited the conflict-wracked Central African Republic, where he urged the country’s Christian and Muslim factions to lay down their weapons and instead arm themselves with peace and forgiveness. Andy Murray gave Britain its first Davis Cup title in 79 years when he beat Belgium’s David Goffin 6-3, 7-5, 6-3 in the first of reverse singles.